Ephesians as the “church” epistle supports the 5th identification on our checklist above (Ephesians 4:16). You and I will decide if there will be a check and, if so, how big a check Jesus will place in the box. The elementary matters of 1-4 are fairly easy to affirm (though there really is more to them than is sometimes understood),however the fifth consideration on the list asks for more; relates to how well we practice connected, united, common purpose body/family service.

A question is then what are my niches? Hopefully, we all have more than one. With my involvement in mind, if the level of my church commitment to service were transferred to a spot with the Hilltoppers, what would the sports writers say and how well would the team fare considering the value of my contribution to the whole? Looking at this participation principle from a spiritual point of view, how fittingly am I described by Paul’s statement regarding my ability to suffer and rejoice with other members of the body (I Cor. 12:26)?

Okay, I understand that you and I are human and thus saddled with limitations hindering us from perfect performance. However, Jesus, the builder of the church, did not have the Spirit speak of expected relationships without His having some expectation that these relationships would be more than puny.

I also know that Rome was not built in a day. We are all works in progress; improvement comes with time. Also, progress involving a group can be messy at times. Therefore, the question isn’t whether or not we have arrived at perfection, rather it is a question asked about if we are consistently taking the next step. Is there movement? What tangible progress is evident in my life and in the life of the congregation?

A local congregation is expected by God to provide an environment conducive to growth. Individual Christians are expected to take advantage of this and grow. Even if the congregation’s environment is not helping me as much as I think it should, my responsibility before God remains. There is no way to escape my duty and privilege as a Christian to do the best I can to make things better in the Kingdom.

How does my “checklist” look? Is is just a checklist of outward behaviors or does it address my spirit and its ongoing quest for Christ-likeness? Who has made my checklist, me and my selfish, unambitious attempts to place my “commitments” in a rather small box, or Jesus who wants to own me?

These create a synergistic effect that is powerful in the most extreme way. Jesus, however, must be the key in this energizing of Christianity. He must shape it, define it, motivate it, supply it, lead it, and serve as its model in every way!
This will work if we are willing to make the commitment. It is in fact, how Christianity is supposed to function (Rom. 8:29; I Cor. 2:10-16; II Cor. 3:18; Gal. 2:20, 4:19; Eph. 3:16-17; 4:11-16; Phil. 2:5; Col. 1:24-29; I Pet. 3:15, etc.).

For those who believe in The historical reality of Jesus, the fact that He was born comes as no great revelation. Toward the end of every year, this reality gets a special boost as the subject becomes so unavoidable even the most ardent skeptic finds no escape. From the endless stream of increasingly cheesy movies to majestic, solemn cathedral presentations, Jesus’ birth hits much of the world right between the eyes!

This poses an interesting and awkward dilemma for many of us who ardently believe in the birth of the Christ. Those of us holding a restorationists point of view seek to take a fresh look at the nature of Christianity and revisit the revival of a completely biblical point of view in all we do.

On the matter of celebrating the birth of Christ, may of us may therefore feel somewhat conflicted. We don’t want to throw cold water on efforts to honor the birth of Jesus. Nevertheless, we correctly declare that we neither know when Jesus was born nor have authority to bind any particular day for the celebration of His birth.

In this quest for biblical authority, however, we must not inadvertently slight the amazing fact of the incarnation. As with any biblical truth, we are privileged to praise and celebrate all God’s blessings any day of the year. Jesus was born and that is most worthy of praise and celebration at any and all times!

This post is therefore not another call to put Christ back in Christmas. My sights are set on much more expansive territory. I’m calling for a movement to put Christ back in Christianity.

A very unfortunate, but common, religious phenomenon is the gradual erosion of robust, rich, biblical conclusions leaving a reduced content inadequate to support truth. The bankruptcy created by this lazy reductionism disillusions those who find pseudo “reasons” inadequate. Additionally, such dilatory exegetical folly lends apparent support to those who would dismiss truth. Therefore, one of the most destructive forces against the acceptance of correct conclusions is an inadequate argument.
I Peter 3:15 reveals the solution needed to preserve substance and prevent a destructive slide into insufficiently supported assertions.
When our hearts give Jesus the most privileged place, our apologies have the force of Christ-likeness. We then share in the power of His complete, compelling, truthful embodiment of His Father’s will. Only in this way can we insure the vibrancy of Christianity. Reductionism cannot exist where Jesus lives!